Florence Austral
Toronto Daily Star, April 20 1927
Florence Austral (1892-1968) was born Florence Mary Wilson; she took her stage name to honour her native Australia. She was discovered singing in a choir in Melbourne and she went on to perform in Berlin and Covent Garden in London, among others. She started becoming afflicted by multiple sclerosis in 1930 and the disease forced her to retire in 1940.
There are a number of recordings of her on YouTube, including this performance of a piece by Wagner.
Created September 19, 2025.